RUSSIANS ACCUSE STATE MAN OF DRUG TIES

THOMAS D. WILLIAMS; Courant Staff WriterTHE HARTFORD COURANT

A 24-year-old Ridgefield man, a Fulbright scholar held in Russia since last month on marijuana possession charges, is now being accused of being part of a drug "gang" or "ring," according to international press reports.

The most recent allegation against John "Jack" Tobin, if proved, carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, according to reports Monday in The Associated Press and The Russian Journal.

Federal and congressional sources Monday said Tobin is actually being charged with associating with a group of other people who use drugs.

Tobin was first held Jan. 25 on charges of possession of a small amount of marijuana outside a nightclub in Voronezh, a city 300 miles south of Moscow. He was released, but detained again Feb. 1 after allegedly failing to go back for police questioning.

Tobin has denied all the allegations and says drugs were planted on him. His Russian lawyer, Vladimir Kulinich, said the latest charge was very weak because police had not arrested or questioned any members of the alleged group, said The Russian Journal. The newspaper carried photos of Tobin in prison and free outside of prison joking in an apartment room with an associate.

Earlier this month, Russian authorities said they would not pursue espionage charges against Tobin, who is on inactive reserve status with a U.S. Army Military Intelligence Unit based in Waterbury. The Russians had been interested in Tobin's military training at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif., and at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., the Army's intelligence center. Russian officials initially speculated that Tobin might have been training in Russia for more advanced intelligence duties.

The speculation came in late February following the announcement of the arrest of FBI Agent Robert P. Hanssen, who is accused of spying for the Russians for the last 15 years.

In the fallout that followed, the U.S. announced the expulsions of 51 Russian officials. The Russians retaliated with several expulsions of U.S. diplomats.

Ben Golnik, Tobin's roommate at Voronezh and at Middlebury College in Vermont, which they attended as undergraduates, said he believes Tobin has been falsely charged with the drug violations.

"I have been one of the guy's best friends for two or three years, so anything like that that went on I would have known about. ... Everyone is so destitute over there. It is not like it is a prep school or a college town. There is no money over there, so a gang wouldn't have much in the way of customers," said Golnik, who returned to his home in Wethersfield in January and has been prevented from returning by the U.S. State Department.